Turning $1 COOKIES into a FANCY BIRTHDAY CAKE!
Emma Fontanella’s $1 Cooke Birthday Cake
About my Fancy Birthday Cake Made From $1 Cookies
The idea for this recipe came to me when I was thinking about the iconic Italian dessert, tiramisu. I wondered if I could come up a dessert that was equally delicious, but using iconic American flavors instead of Italian flavors.
The core idea is to use some form of cookie or dry cake as a vehicle to soak up a delicious liquid, then add some sort of tasty cream to go with it. Finally, you need some kind of topping.
The three delicious America flavors I decided to combine in this dessert are:
“Cookies dipped in milk”
No-bake cheesecake
Classic vanilla birthday cake with sprinkles.
Those flavors corresponds to “lady fingers dipped in coffee”, mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder in tiramisu.
So, you can think of this dessert as a kind of America tiramisu—a delicious no-bake cake that combines the flavors of birthday cake, cheesecake and cookies dipped in milk.
This dessert has turned into a real crowd pleaser with many hundreds of thousands of people having made it! And the best thing is - it’s so easy and quick to make. You can whip this up in minutes, then pop it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve it. Certainly, you don’t need to wait for someone’s birthday to enjoy it.
What’s the name for this kind of cake?
This general name for this kind of cake is fridge cake. It’s called this because there’s no baking involved. Once this cake is assembled, you simply put it in the fridge to set. Then you can enjoy it.
What’s another name for a fridge cake?
A fridge cake is sometimes also known as an icebox cake. Icebox cake is a more old-fashioned name. It comes from the first part of the 20th century when people were only just starting to have electric fridges in their kitchen. Before electric fridges, people had boxes cooled by blocks of ice that they used chill food. Those came to be known as iceboxes.
The “icebox cake” name can be confusing because, sometimes, icebox cakes are put in the freezer. In that case, it can be another name for “ice cream cakes”—the naming there is due the fact the early fridges had a small compartment called an icebox where you could store ice for drinks or small ice creams.
Is a fridge cake the same as a tiffin cake?
Tiffin is a kind of fridge cake, but not all fridge cakes are tiffin cakes. This recipe isn’t tiffin. Tiffin cakes are much more solid. This recipe makes a soft, creamy dessert.
How long do fridge cakes last?
Fridge cakes can last for 5 to 7 days. Keep them covered in the fridge to stop them drying out.
INGREDIENTS
11oz (300g) Philadelphia cream cheese
11oz (300g) cold heavy cream
¾ cup (100g) powdered sugar
1½ tsp vanilla extract
A $1 pack of cookies - approx. 11oz (300g)
Whole milk - enough to put in a small bowl for dunking the cookies
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the birthday cheesecake cream
In a large bowl, whip together cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and heavy cream to stiff peaks.
Ideally, you would use a handheld electric mixer for this. But you can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddles attachment if you prefer. Or you can even whisk it by hand if you prefer.
The birthday cake mix, whipped to stiff peaks
Stop mixing when the cheesecake cream holds its shape.
Assemble the cake
Dip each cookie in the milk for about 5 seconds, and arrange some cookies to form the base of the cake. (I used 9 cookies per layer, but you can make whatever size cake you prefer). Then add a layer of the birthday cheesecake cream.
I like to do this by using a piping bag because it makes it easy and quick to get an even layer. But if you don’t have a piping bag, just place a few dollops of the cream onto the base, and smooth it out using a knife or spoon.
Piping the birthday cake mix onto the first layer of cookies
Now add a second layer of cookies. As before, dip each cookie in milk for about 5 seconds before adding it to the cake. Then add another layer of cream.
Adding the second layer of cookies, each cookie having been dipped in milk
Continue adding layers of cookies and birthday cheesecake cream until you have four layers of cookies.
Frosting the cake
Finally, to “frost” the cake, cover the top and the sides with more of the cheesecake cream. When frosting, make sure to cover the edges of the cake completely with the birthday cake mix.
Frosting the cookie cake
Refrigerate the cake
Don’t add the sprinkles yet. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
The will keep for 5 to 7 days in the fridge, covered. So you can make it ahead of time if you want.
To serve
Take the cake out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving. This allows the cookie layers to soften up again. Decorate the cake with sprinkles.
Cut the cake it whatever size pieces you prefer.
Cutting the birthday cake
Top Recipe Tip
You can make this cake ahead of time. It will keep in the fridge for 5 to 7 days, covered. However, don’t add the sprinkles until just before serving the cake.
Hi! I’m Emma Fontanella. Here you’ll find trusted, tested recipes to satisfy your baking addiction and carb cravings. Learn more…
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